Automobile-horn.



J. J. RICHARDS, JR. AUTOMOBILE HORN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1911.

1 1,043,032. Pafelled 001'. 29, 1912. 3 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/q-j' V 6 5'() 5a '27a-6556.5.' @5J l W/f @Mza J. J. RICHARDS, In.

AUTOMOBILE HORN. APPLICATION FILED AUG.17, 1911.

Patented 0@..29,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wh ,J U w A w J N,... m A w 7m v0 thus requiredlto operate ,operation and has required that the trans- UNLITED`l sfrArEs rngfrENT .oEEicE JOHN J. RICHARDS, JR., 0F BBOOKLIN, MASSACHUSETTS, .ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM S. BANIELS AND 4ARCHIE W. CAMPBELL. BOTH OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUToiioBILE-HORN.

i Specification of Letters Patent..

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

Application tiled August 17, 1911. Serial 110.644,614. i

To all wtomit may concern;

' Beit ltnown that I, JOHN J. RICHARDS, J r., a citizen of the United States, and .resident of Brookline, in they county ofNoi-folk use on automobiles, to be operated by the exhaust gas from the engine. Such orns as heretofore constructed have l,been subject to the objection that the controllingy valvemechanism for directing the gas to tie horn or diverting it therefrom has either been unduly complicated or when a single valve gate has been employed, the pressure thereupon in horn blowing position bei-,ng all exerted upon one side yof the gate and this rassure being sometimes lconsiderable has required that some little degree of force be used in shifting-fthe gate to divert thegasl away from the horn. The amount of force the valve gate has been such as to usually `re uire that this be eii'ected with some little e ort by amanual mitting connect-ions be somewhat elaborate to transmit the necessary impulse.

The present invention provides a single controlling gate which when moved to one limiting position directs the as through a restricted aperture to sound t e horn while in its other limiting position it diver-ts the gas away from the horn to a free' exhaust. This valve gate is arranged and connected so as to be substantially balanced when withstanding t-he gaseous pressure in horn sounding position so that itl can be moved therefromv to lio-rn mute position with comparativelylittle effort, the small impulse required to eect `this movement beingtransmitted by a fluid transmitting medium, which may have a simple flexible tube con.- nection from a bill-b yconvenient to the driversseat. p

vThe invention willv be more fully understood from the following detailed descri iton wherein sev'ei'al illustrativeembodiments are shown in connection with lthe ac3-. companying drawin s and thereafter pointed'out in the appen ed claims.

Referring'to the drawingsz' Figure 1 is a". central. vertical lsection through the operative arts ofone ,form of the device, the soun ing chamber being shown in elevation and partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a similar view of another form of the device. Fig. 3

ticall sections. showing other illustrative forms of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 10 designatesa'connection at the end of the exhaust gas con-- duit which may conveniently be attached to the muler outleti Thisv 'connection has a relatively large and substantially axial opening 11 which is controlled by a'valvegate 12 swingingly mounted about the axis 13, inl lthis case at one edge ofsaid opening'. This conduit connection 10 also has at its upper Vpart a restricted outlet 'passage 14 through which the as asses to impin e upon the sounding cianier 15 to soun 'the horn. This sounding chamber is mounted on a supporting projection 16 shown as integral with the connection 1Q ,with its lower edge 17 in a plane inclined slightly downward, in pracyis a horizontal'sectional' view lon line 3-3 l' of Fig. 2'and Figs. 4 andl 5 are central' vertice about 4 de rees, below the planelof thc aperture 14:. he connection 10' has 'rigid therewith, and shown as integrally formed, an upstandinghollow support 1S for the fluid operating device which is to control the valve gate. The means for transmitting the fluid pressure impulse. may be of various forms; I have found that an' ordinary ile-xible diaphrafrin of fabric, rubber or inetal is well suited lor therequirements. This diaphragniv is clamp-ed to a flared-ont portion 20 of the support 18 by means of a cap plate 21 held thereto Aby screw bolts 22. This diaphravm is connected to" operate the valve gate by rod 23 clamped centrally to the diagate near its. pivotal axis at The iiper end 25 of this rod extends up into a gui ing aperture 26latprnied in the cap plate 21'. A

iesupport 18, and a block 29 fit!-4 phragm' and pivotally connected to the valve j coil spring A27' is mounted on this iod bey y plate nection with a flexible tube 32 which may` lead to a compression bulb near the drivers sion of fluid to control the valve gate which. in practice is usually compressed air, is shownat 30, illustrated as a part of the cap 21' and having usual or suitable conas thereis no outlet for the gaslin this direction the pressure therein becomes substantiall'y equal to that against the gate 12. The diaphragm 19 ismade of a size so that the area exposed to the gas pressure formed underneath is approximately similar to the area of the valve gate`12 upon which the gas is pressing. .v

'n practice the diaphragm may be made of a slightly greater area for the reason that the pressure'thereupon is what may be termed a dead2 pressure whereas that upon tliefvalve gate 12 hals added to such dead .pressure the impact or momentum of the moving gas. The diaphragm 19 and the valve gate 124 being thus proportioned so thatfthe outward pressure upon the valve gate is substantially balanced by the upward pressure on the diaphragm, it is evldent that the valvegate may be moved in either direction b v an impulse only suilicient tolovercome the Vinertia and friction of the parts. ,Thus the spring 27 need only be made strong enough s o as tolift thevvalve and diaphragm when the air pressure above is relieved :so as to hold'the valve gate normallyelevated as shown, and the air pressure required to operate the gate need be only enough p' .to overcome this relatively light spring and the inertia of the parts.

l The inwardlyfextending ledge 2S which re- .i liaust '11.;

stricts the gas opening into the chamber of the support 1S has aspecial function in additionto guiding the rod 23 in that it throttles the gas inlet so that. the relatively small amount of gas which can enter therethrough intotherelatively large chamber under the diaphragm, does not heat this chamber and ithe dead gas therein enough so asY to have'- deleterious eiiects on the diaphragm orother parts, The operation ofthe device-is at once,Vfevitlent from the showing, the valve gate:y 1 2: in 'the' position shown preventing the yp assage'of gas through tht-:aperture 14 andi-directingf'it out through the freeexy As the diaphragm is pressed downby-the air orother iiuid pressure from above the valve gate 12 is moved throughs-a relatively small angle, in practice about 45 horn sounding the back degrees, to its seat closing the exhaust 11 and affording an oblique baille to divert the gas through the aperture 14, to sound the horn, this continuing until the air pressure above the diaphragm is relieved when the spring 27 will again raise the valve gate to the horn mute position shown.

In developing the combination whereby the valve gate andits operating connections are substantially balanced so as to be operable by arelatively small fluid pressure impulse,.instead ofhaving the valve gate balanced 'by gaseous pressure under the diaphragm, the valve gate itself may be so formed and mounted as to be of itself balanced against the gas pressure and thus free to move under a small impulse from the fluid transmitting connection. Such an em- -bodiment is shown in 'dillerent illustrative forms in Figs. 2 to 5.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 the gas conduit connection 10 has its free endwise exhaust- 11, the restricted; horn blowing aperture 14 and the sounding chamber 15 arranged similarly to the form just described except that*v the exhaustoutlet 114 has the walls forming its peripheral outline extending obliquely in the opposite direction. In this forni the valve gate 12 is pivoted at an approximately central point 13 and is adapted to swing through a relatively small angle, in practice about 50 degrees, from a position, wherein it closes 11 and abuts against the inwardly extendingly abutment rhin which the horn sounding aperture 14 is formed, to itsbther limiting position as shown wherein it 'abutsl against another inwardly extending abut ment 35 to close the outlet for sounding the horn and direct the gas through the free exhaust 11. The operating rod 23"'in this form is pivotally connected to the gate near its axis as seen at 24 similarly to the first described form and, as shown, is bent outward therefrom to extend upward through a guiding tube 36 which may be fitted in the dividing plate of the sounding chamber as seen in Fig. 3. Suitable stops 37, 3S may be fixed to the rod 23 properly spaced apart relative to the guide tube 36 so thatl in conjunction'therewith they determine thetwo limiting. positions of the valve gate. The operating diaphragm in this form may be in all respects similar. to that just described, but as there is no sure to be exerted underneath the same, the chamber 20 may be supported by suitable straps or otherwise. It may be now understood that with the gate 12 in the position as shownin Fig. 2 the areas exposed to gaseous pressure at either side of the axis 13" are substantially similarlso that it may be oper- 'a't'd vby a small impulse, and the rod 23 being pivoted close to the axis Vin connection with the small angular movement oi the the free exhaust' occa-@on for the gas pres-l ing aperture 46.

. position gate makes only a small movement of the dlaphragm necessary.

this form the rod 232 connecting the gatev with the diaphragm is shown as extending 1up through and being guided in an aperture 39 opening from within the gas chamber so that this rod has a close sliding fit through such aperture. The valve gate in this form has its inner ed e abutting at. 4-0 against va side of the con uit connection which constitutes a stop therefor in horn mute position as shown and when in horn sounding the gate presents an oblique surface directing the gas to the sounding aperture 142. In this form as in that of Figs. 2 and 3 the area of the gate, at the lower side of its axis against Which more of the live'impacts of the gas are exerted, may be slightly smaller than that of the other side which is only balanced by the dead pressure or with less of the impact, so that the gate is moreA exactly balanced Vthan would be the case if only the dead pressure were taken into consideration. v

In Fig. 5 the gate '41 instead of heilig'l a tlatplate is formed'with two wings 42, 4S which converge from a relatively wide opening 44 to register with the conduit connection passage-4to, to the restricted horn soundgas is directed from the conduit opening 45 through. the converging chamber thus formed to the sounding aperture 4G and as the internal areas of the two plates 42, 4:3 are similar it is evident that the valve is balanced so as to be movable with a slight tluid pressure impulse from the diaphragm connecting rod 233 in like manne.` as in the other forms, this rod being pivotally connected to the upper plate at 44 quite near the `)ivotal axis 47 at the converging end of tile valve about which it swings. As

`the gate thus formed is moved from the horn: sounding position up within the protecting pocket 48 formed therefor in the conduit. casing, the sounding aperture 46 is swung away from the sounding chamber and the gas connection thereto finally closed, the outer yside of the plate v42 then forming a continuation of the free exhaust opening to divert the gas laway from the sounding chamber. l'tis sometimes desirable to provide means whereby a horn may be voperated by the toot or hand through mechanical connections at option,l andassociate'd` with 5'5 case fue block abatnient'ee' the form in'Fig. '2 l have shown a. lmanual connection with the diaphragm stem vv'fhlere-4 eitectfed Tn this i entire` steni'bei bvr this is col'ivenie'ntly with thev ln the position shown the,

low the diaphragm is recessed out-as seen at it) and in this recess the ,endof an angular lover 50 works with somelittlellos't motion. This angular lever is pivetedgat 5l toa fixed suliport. arm 52 and its otherfendhas connected thereto a stout spring Tg3 opel ating in a direction tending'to raise l the end ot the lever 1n recess 49 upward.

A c able .or other connection 54 islalsofattached. 'to

the outer end of the lever 50' airangcdto pull the lever 1n a direction' to (livel-Come the spring 58 and force the diaphragm steml with the valve gate do'wnwardio operate the horn. A stop on the fixed arm limits the movement ofthe lever 50 bythe spring 53 so that the inner end of this vlever remains-some little distancebelow the'ftop ot the recess 49, thus permitting the diaphram to operate within its limits ofmovement. without moving the AleveiAU. Thus by virtue of this lost motion between the inner end of the lever 50 andthe block,y 29 in connection with the spring fit is evident that the fluid pressure connection to the diaphragm may operatet-he sa inc'ivithout having to move the manual connections while the manual connections are held in position -to be used wheirdesircd. y

ln each of the forms shown theisingle controlling gate which in onefposition Ailirccts the'gas to the sounding chamber and in the 1other divert's it to a free exhaust'isl substantially balanced when resisting the gas pressure in horn sounding positionj'so as to be movable with certainty b'yfa relatively vsmalll impulse from the compression bulb in the hands of the operator; 2'. ci., lthe operative pressiire required need be only enough to overcome the friction of the parts and the relatively light spring which is requiredt to return the gate to hoi-nannte position.- l consider'the special combinationofv the iiuid pressurev impulse transmit-v ting means with the balanced gas control` ling gate to be of special' importance for the reason that such a transmission eii'ects a iiexible and elastic yet quiclcand'c'ert-ain operation ot' the gate so that the objectionable combination of soundsoften produced by the uncertain movement of the valve'in opening and closing With a direct hand op'- eration or mechanical operating device is avoided or minimized. Y

While each of `the several forms of the invention has certain distinctive advantages it `may. be especially pointedout as `to that of the momentum o-r impact. movement of vthe gas accelerates the opening oft the valve after this has been started 'the 4diap'hram thereby further avoiding the humming and 'wliirring sounds often heardfati'the instant of opening'. Further, in this 'forni 'theopen ating lrod `23" has" no close trictionbearng being entirely outs-ide 1in, 'the "atmosphere loo .leading thereto', .aperture for horn sounding and a separate @relatively free exhaust opening,

and not having to. extend into sure chamber so that the frictional resi. ance is thereby considerably reduced. Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j

l; A device ofthe kind described, comprising a sounding chamber, a gas conduit having a relatively small oted to swing to one position to through said relatively small aperture to soundthe horn, and to another position to divert the gasthrough saidseparate relatively free exhaust opening, s aid parts being arranged for said gate to exercise said controlling action by a swing through materially less than a rightangle, and fluid pressure operating means connected to said gate near the axis thereof by a link having a substantially right line movement said gate with lits operating connections having sim'ilar opposed areas exposed to like gas pressure when in horn sounding position, so 'as --to be substantially balanced.

" 2. A device of the kind described, com-n prising a' soundingchamber, a gas conduit horn vin one vmovement and having provision exerting .a

yielding force capable of being overcome by saidliuid pressure controlling means to keep thevgate normally in horn mute position, and said gate with its operating connections having similar opposed areas-exposed to like gaseous pressure when in horn sounding position.

3. A device of the kind described, comprising a sounding chamber, a gas conduit leading thereto, having a relatively small aperture for horn sounding and a sepa-rate relatively free exhaustopening, a pivoted gate arranged to form a part of tlievvalls of said conduit, andl to direct gas to the sounding chamber and divert it therefrom in two limitingposit-ions respectively,.said gate having operating mechanism consisting of a diaphragm' with Huid. pressure controlling connections, a. link connected to said 'gate near its axis and engaged for sub- Stantially right line in ovement by said diaphragm, said operating mechanism and the 'gas 'presposing areas to the operating edges in a limiting voted to swing to one gate being arranged'to present similar opgaseous pressure vvhen in horn sounding position sothat a relatively small fluid pressure impulse may control the same.

4f. A device of the kind described, coniprising a sounding chamber, a gas conduit .leading thereto having a relatively small aperture for hoin sounding and a separate relatively tree exhaust opening. a pivoted gate arranged to i'orm a part of the vvalls of said conduit, and to direct gas to the sounding chamber and divert it theretrmn in tivo limiting positions respectively, said gate having substantially equal areas exposed to pressure at each side of its pivot, a diaphragm having fluid pressure controlling means connectcd to said gatesuchconnection consisting in a link having substantially right line movement and pivoted near the axis of the gate and means exerting a yielding force capable of being overcome by said fluid pressure controlling means for normally holding the gate in horn mute position with the gas diverted from the sounding chamber.

5. A device of t-he kind described, comprising a sounding chamber, a gas conduit leading thereto having a relatively small 4aperture for horn sounding and a separate relatively free exhaust opening, a gate pivoted to swing to one position to direct gas through said relatively small aperture to sound the horn and to another position to divert the gas through said separate relatively free exhaust opening, said gate having substantially similar areas exposed to pressure on each side of its pivot ivhen in horn sounding position, and operatingineans for said gate,-said conduit having relatively thin rportions extendingout in the direction oi' the gate to meet and lit its peripheral position thereof and cooperating therewith to control the iluid pressure passage ivhereby relatively small surfacesof the gate and the conduit are opposed as the gate is closed.

6. A device of the kind described, comprising a sounding chamber, a. gas conduit leading thereto having a, relatively small aperture for horn sounding and a separate relatively tree exhaust opening, a gate pivposition to direct gas through said relatively small aperture to sound the horn and to another position to divert the gas through said separate relatively tree exhaust opening, said gate having substantially similar areas exposed to pressure on each side of its pivot when in` horn sounding position, and operating means for said gate comprising a diaphragm having fluid pressure connections for controlling the same, said conduit having inwardly yprojecting relatively thin ribs meeting and tting the peripheral edges of the gate in a limiting position thereof, extentiing then in the direction of the faces of the gate to coperate therevvith for controlling the conduit. ivith relatively small areas of abutting and relativel)` movable surfaces whereb;- obstruction of the gate from soot and other matter is obviated.

T. A device of the kind described, comprising a sounding chamber, a gas conduit leading thereto having a relatively small aperture for horn sounding and a separate relativelvv free exhaust opening, a gate pivoted to siving to one position to direct gas through said relativel1 small aperture to .sound the horn and to another position to divert the gas through said separate relatively free exhaust opening` said gate having substantiallv similar areas exposed to pressure on each side of its pivot vvhen in horn sounding position. and operating means for said gate comprising a dia phragin, a connecting rod from said diaphragm to the gate, said rod being lconnected to the gate adjacent its pivot with the parts so arranged that said. rod extends wholly outside the pressure chamber, fluid pressure connections for contwuliug the diaphragm, and means for hold V in horn mute position.

8. A device et sind described, comprising a sounding Yfaber, a gas conduit leading thereto in a. relatively small aperture for horn relatively free exha. oted to siving to on through said rela' sound the horn and said gate normallyt divert the gas through said separate rela.- tivelv free exhaust opening, said gate having opposed areas at each side of its pivot exposed to gas pressure and portions exposed to gas impacts, there being a slightly smaller area of the gate on the Side of its pivot exposed to such gas impacts, and operating means for said gate having a. Huid pressure connection.

9. A. device ofthe kind described, comprising a sounding chamber, a gas conduit leading thereto having a relatively small aperture for horn sounding and a separate relatively free exhaust opening, a. gate'pivoted to svving to one position to direct gas through said relatively 'small aperture to sound the horn and to another position t-o divert the gas through said separate relativelv free exhaust opening, said gate having opposed areas at each side of its pivot exposed to gas pressure, and operating means for said gate comprising iuid pressure controlling connections, yielding means for holding :the gate normallvin horn mute position and other connect-ions for controlling the gate manually at will, said connections having a lost motion attachment arranged so as to be unnioved by the operation of the fluid pressure control.

In testimon)Y whereof, I have signed my naine to this specification, in the presence of tivo subscribing vvitnesses.

JOHN J. Rioiiaans, JR.

Witnesses :v

CLYDE L. Boones, linut-,ian MAXWELL. 

